Team California 14U Disbanding

[SKBC1234]

TO SKBC1234:

What I said was that in order for a kid to be considered "at risk", there should be circumstances that put that them in that category. I think it is great to give parents and kids an opporutnity to play the game and try to elimiate as much of the cost as possible....BUT DON'T CALL THEM AT RISK! If you can't understand the difference between a kid who is taking lessons, driving to tournaments a couple times per month, paying for food on the weekends, driving to practice weekly vs. the kid who can't even afford to do one of those, then my response wouldn't be understood by you anyway. There is a colossal difference between being financially strapped and "at risk"! You can try to to spin this however you want, but yes for a kid to be at risk they should be experiencing some of those negative situations. Just because one doesn't have as much money as another DOES NOT MAKE THEM AT RISK!

"So basically you are saying: These girls should be exposed to violence, drugs, deficient academically and move to the ghetto and be exposed to negative influences in order to be given the opportunity that these girls have been given?"

No that isn't what I said. However, this charity is supposed to be helping kids exactly like the ones you just mentioned. It was designed to help kids that didn't have the means or access to play sports through any other means. I don't need to know each kid or family to know that each and every family on that team didn't fit into that category. Since you know so many of them, are you going to try to tell me they do? It is one thing to do something great and try to help lower the cost of tournament ball for families that may need it, but don't try to pawn it off as though those kids are now "at risk"!

Lastly...you should have taken the time to look up "at risk youth" and you would have found that it is exactly what I described...

"Gang warfare, street stabbings and shootings, proliferation of drugs, binge drinking and the spread of sexually-transmitted diseases all make life tough for today’s teens. And the tragic result is that so many young people are caught up in a dangerous lifestyle and place their health and even their life at risk."

Take some time to look it up

Looks like you had to double check yourself and look it up yourself, so that you could cut and paste the info into here. Maybe you should have looked it up before you brought it up, there are MANY different definitions of "at risk youth". Just because a kid is smart, and does well in school, doesn't mean that they can't possibly be at risk. Yes, the MAIN definition of at risk youth is as you describe, but everyone needs to understand that they are not the only ones.

Just an example:

There are several sites, at risk is at risk no matter what the situation.

http://www.atriskyouthprograms.com
http://www.schoolengagement.org
http://www.childtrends.org
http://www.cyc-net.org
http://www.familyfirstaid.org
http://www.lib.niu.edu
http://www.atriskeducation.net/
http://www.artsusa.org
http://www.sanmarcos.net
http://www.youthnaction.org

[luv2teachthegame]

Actually I didn't need to look it up because if I did I wouldn't have made the statement to begin with. Never did I make mention to "being smart" or "doing well in school" and if they are they can't be at risk. It seems that you clearly understand my point but still want to try to defend it some how.

I gave you the quote because apparently my description in the beginning didn't suffice. If my definition was the "MAIN definition", then why try to defend it? I think Lindsey has great knowledge, and if you check my first post, I said that we should believe her effort is genuine until it is proven otherwise.

I will leave it at what I have stated already.

[luv2teachthegame]

TO SKBC1234:

BTW...did you read any of those sites before posting them. If you read the atriskyouth.com website you will see the same definition I gave you on the very first post. Check out YOUR website that YOU sited and it will give you some quality information if you click on the link that defines at risk youth.

Last thing....I am in 100% support of giving girls an opportunity to play this game at a much smaller cost but don't call it "at risk" to sale it because alot of our youth are genuinely at risk everyday.

[Iluvblue]

If the kid is hitting 63 on the clock, would it really matter to anyone how "At Risk" she is?

I doubt it.

[ICMTM]

Maybe it's because I grew up on a military base but kids had things to do. There was the rec center, the pool, other sports programs. I still feel that a kid with no direction and a lot of time on their hands is an at risk kid. Why try to save them AFTER they're going down the wrong path? My entire reason for comp softball is to give the kid something that she likes and is good at. I can understand the disagreement around "at risk." We can all agree if they are going to school and involved with a sport that "at risk" child no longer is the risk, but also becomes a positive person in the short term and long term. It's proven involved kids are happy kids. Why wait until they mess up to call them at risk?

The group of TC kids were already playing softball so the program didn't save any at risk kids. You do see a lot PAL that do this very same thing. The difference is they do a better screening process to determine the risk level of these kids. I doubt there were at risk kids sitting at home doing nothing that's even heard of CYPC/TC. If you want to fault anything don't fault the definition of at risk. Fault who the definition is applied to. If the kid is already playing softball, why is switching teams make them less of a risk?

[#1fann]

Every kid breathing in today`s world is "at risk" whether you wanna believe it or not. Anybody who is truly out there trying to aid any of these kids whether it be through volunteer coaching or providing camps, clinics or whatever free of charge or at a reduced cost, should be put up for sainthood! In my nearly 30 years of coaching/mentoring i have never taken 1 cent, nor will i ever! That said, that does not mean i would perform my "real" job free of charge. Quite the contrary! Ms. Klein and Ms. Topping have chosen their employment and absolutely deserve to be compensated handsomely for it. They are more than qualified to command whatever the market will bear. There isn`t one "coach" that posts on here with their credentials. If you have a problem with what somebody is or isn`t making in softball, quit your day job and commit your life to the lucrative world of softball. Every opportunity i get, i watch, listen and learn from the experts like Lyndsey Klein and Jenny Topping. For the rest of you prima donna`s, i watch you too. The vast majority of what i see from you is what not to do. Either way it`s a learning experience.

[Tenshun]

I think anyone with two spits worth of common sense knows the definition of "at risk". And arguing over it is kind of like arguing over what the definition of "is" is. Might win in a legal court, but will never win in the court of public opinion.

Who cares anyway? TC is disbanding. The more interesting question is what teams will all their talented girls land on.

[ICMTM]

I think anyone with two spits worth of common sense knows the definition of "at risk". And arguing over it is kind of like arguing over what the definition of "is" is. Might win in a legal court, but will never win in the court of public opinion.

Who cares anyway? TC is disbanding. The more interesting question is what teams will all their talented girls land on.

From what I understand is that the 14s as a group are looking for another org together and the players are staying as a group.

[itsforthekids]

TC14 was a strong good team, especially since they just got together this fall. Sad to see such a good team disassemble. I hope they can work it out and stay together. I would think any org would be happy to welcome them aboard. Lots of luck to them.

[artomatic]

Sad to see such a good team disassemble.

Haven't heard that word since Johnny #5 was saying it in "Short Circuit"...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WjeptaI2T8E